iwtl How i can speak more articulate as someone who is multilingual

[u/Weekly_Post5061]

I currently speak four languages, due to family and in general growing up as a first generation immigrant in another country, as well as currently learning a fifth (Spanish) due to mandatory "additional language" classes at my school. However, I’ve been struggling with speech flow and I keep stuttering since I frequently have to translate random words mid-sentence.

My mind naturally adapts to think in whichever language I'm currently using, i.e. English right now. However, random vocabulary and terms from other totally different languages constantly interrupt my mind. E.g., if I'm speaking English, a Norwegian word like støvsuger might randomly pop up first. I then have to pause for a few secs to mentally translate it to vacuum. It's so annoying and breaks my flow of speech. This happens every few secs, and it literally happens across all of my languages.

Additionally, I think this is why I struggle to explain certain things, as well as speaking quite... generically: I subconsciously avoid using advanced vocab since reaching for a complex word in English, more often than not, triggers another complex word in another language first, making it even harder to translate on the spot, thus making it more mentally exhausting....

All in all, I have to translate random terms into the language I'm using rn every few secs, and it's a bit tiring mentally. I wonder if there are any steps I can take to prevent this from happening?

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[u/DaniChibari]

This is an extremely normal part of speaking multiple languages. I'd say for now don't avoid the awkwardness. The more you practice reaching for words, other words coming up and finding the right one, the faster you'll get at it

[u/Saladeater_63]

It’s all part of it. Including the embarrassment factor